1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for displaying a menu in a mobile device, and more particularly, for displaying a menu with efficient use of a screen of the mobile device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various technologies for mobile devices are currently developed. Particularly, as touch screen mobile devices have evolved, where the touch screen functions as a convenient input unit, the technology development for a user interface of the mobile device has accelerated.
In a touch screen mobile device, when a particular application is executed, menus for providing various functions on the application can be displayed on the touch screen. For example, an environment setting menu for setting an environment of the mobile device, or a menu including drawing tools in a drawing application and the like, can be displayed. Further, the mobile device can detect a user's touch gesture such as a touch for selecting an item or an icon included in the menu through the touch screen.
However, the mobile device has a disadvantage of a relatively small display unit in comparison with a desktop PC. Accordingly, when one or more menus with multiple selections is displayed on the touch screen, a considerable portion of the relatively smaller touch screen may be hidden by the menu.
Further, in a hierarchical menu structure including a higher menu (main menu) and a lower menu (sub-menu) associated with the higher menu, when an icon of the lower menu is desired to be executed, the higher menu is first accessed and then the lower menu is sequentially accessed. Accordingly, when the user wants to execute an icon belonging to the lower menu or to a sub-menu of the lower menu (e.g., from a “lowest menu”), the user is required to sequentially access the higher menu, the lower menu, and the lowest menu, and then the icon belonging to the lowest menu. As a result, the user repeats such a process of executing the menus multiple times. Therefore, in order to execute the icon belonging to the lowest menu, the user inconveniently performs many touches to gain access to the desired icon and execute its associated function.
Furthermore, in order to execute the icon of the lowest menu, it is required to display a plurality of menus from the higher menu to the lowest menu on the display unit of the mobile device. However, as described above, the mobile device has a relatively small display screen, a considerable portion of which becomes hidden by the plurality of menus when the menus are displayed. Accordingly, the user cannot maximally use an optimized touch screen for displaying a screen of the mobile device.